By Simeon OSAJIE
The Edo State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) on Wednesday denied allegations that it collected N100 million from the Edo State Government ahead of the Edo South Senatorial primaries, describing the claim as false, malicious, and defamatory.
This is contained in a statement by Comrade Festus Alenkhe and Comrade Andy Egbon, Chairman and Secretary respectively of the Union and made available to journalists in the state.
The state stated that the report published by “Standard Daily Press” was a “criminal lie” allegedly orchestrated by individuals seeking to tarnish the image of the union.
According to the statement, the individual behind the publication is not a registered member of the NUJ and lacks press accreditation.
The union stated that it neither collected nor discussed any N100 million payment with the Edo State Government and challenged the publisher to provide evidence to support the allegation.
The union leadership further described the publication as blackmail and warned that such actions could amount to offenses under the Cybercrimes Act and the Criminal Code.
Edo NUJ demanded an immediate retraction of the publication and a public apology to be published across all platforms operated by Standard Daily Press within 48 hours.
The union also requested full disclosure of the identity of the writer and alleged sponsors of the report.
It warned that failure to comply would lead to civil and criminal legal action for defamation, injurious falsehood, and cyberstalking, while petitions would also be submitted to the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services, and the Nigeria Press Council for investigation and possible prosecution.
The statement added that the national leadership of the NUJ had been briefed on the matter and urged members of the public to disregard the publication.